Of Tigers and Lilies
by BeautifulXinXBlood
Summary: I must be going crazy. Kids with chains attached to their chests, monsters, and strange men in pajamas' She pressed a hand to her forehead. 'No, I'm not feverish, so... what the hell' REDONE! Eventual Chad/OC, promise.
1. The Rescue

The Rescue

"Stop! Leave me alone!"

She heard screams and yelling coming from the alley up ahead. 'So cliché,' she sighed. 'Why does stuff like this always happen in alleyways?'

Walking up to the alley, she saw two guys cornering a familiar looking young girl. The brown hair that fell into her face couldn't mask the fear and panic she felt within." 'Somehow, I don't think they care about...' she gawked when she actually managed to take a good look at the guys. 'Holy... what the?! Those guys are a bit big for middle school...'

"We just want to have some fun, relax," one of the guys said in a sickening tone.

She sighed. 'Typical. God, it's like they took this straight out of a shojo manga, minus the knight in shining armor.'

When they began to act on their idea of "fun," a flame ignited within her and rage emanated from every pore in her body. She composed herself and gathered every last ounce of courage in her slight, 5'4" frame to follow through.

"Hey, you fucktards, the lady said NO." She launched a fist-sized rock at the creep closest to her, the unsuspecting target landing on the ground with an unpleasant "thud". She picked up another rock, anger laced her every word with a poisonous bite. "And last time I checked, no meant NO." She hissed as she threw the rock straight into the face of the second assailant. The brown haired girl stared at the crimson-haired savior whose steel grey eyes burned with confidence.

"Things are about to get ugly here, girl, so you better leave now." The timid would-be victim gave a small nod, and made a break for it.

"You'll pay for that, ya lil' shit." The two guys slowly rose from the ground, hunched over. One of them wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. The speaker cracked his knuckles, and suddenly, she began to think that maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Nevertheless, she pulled herself together. She was defending someone. Fighting for their honor. Protecting another person's right to sanity. Yes, in her mind, that was a right. She raised her fists and assumed a fighting stance. Any onlooker would have thought this was a joke. Here is a fourteen-year-old girl, short and weighing 100 pounds at the most, who thinks (with her newly earned yellow belt) that she can take on a couple of seasoned, no-mercy street fighters who stood at least a head taller than her.

The first guy, tan and gangly looking with dreads in his hair and chains hanging from the most inconvenient places on his face, made the first move. He aimed his swing at wherever he thought he could land a hit. Surprisingly, she dodged it and returned his attempts with a left uppercut to the chin and then a right hook to the face. His friend tried to get her down with a few well-aimed kicks, but she grabbed his ankle, and threw him off balance, launching him into the other one. In return, she landed a few kicks, and struggled very little while beating the crap out of the two men. She even managed to knock out the one with the dreads with a swift kick to the back of the head.

Or so she thought.

She was wearing out, and her reaction time was slowing. She dodged a right hook by swaying a little, but couldn't recover fast enough to dodge the blow he sent flying into her stomach. She doubled over hissing in pain as he delivered six bone-crushing kicks to her lower ribs. She coughed, the life spilling out of her in little pools of scarlet as she heard the sickening snap of a few bones. The metallic taste of blood lingered on her tongue.

She knew it was over.

"That's what ya get for messin' with me, ya li'l shit." He delivered another swift, hard kick to her leg, causing her to cry out.

He had managed to break the bone and it was now lodged into her muscle. A twisted grin plastered itself to his face as he pulled her up by her short crimson locks.

"Next time," he snarled, "next time you won't be so lucky." His voice, a combination of a snarl and a pained hiss, didn't sound as threatening as he'd hoped.

A cocky grin snuck its way onto her face and with her good leg; she kicked out and dug her heel into his shin. Enraged, he spat in her face and hurled her against the wall before limping away. An explosion of red flashed behind her closed eyelids, flooding her vision as the back of her head made contact with the cold bricks behind her.

As she coughed, she felt as if her chest was about to implode, each hacking cough caused a searing, tearing pain in her lungs. She didn't dare cry out, for fear it would bring more agony. Instead, a pained whimper escaped her bloodied mouth. 'Help me…' Agonizing hacking ensued, filling her mouth with a sickeningly thick mixture of blood and bile. She retched and heaved, emptying the contents of her mouth onto the cold concrete.

She tried to push herself up onto her hands and knees, but the pain became unbearable, her trembling arms and legs gave way from under her, and she collapsed in the pool of blood and bile, saliva trickling from her parted, bloody lips. 'Help me... please.' She faded out after seeing two pairs of legs jump in front of her.

Kurosaki Ichigo stood a few meters from the guys who'd messed with Inoue. That was enough to piss him off, but what got him was that they beat up a GIRL (so Inoue told him... he wouldn't have known otherwise). That alone was unforgivable. "HEY! Are you the guys that beat up that girl?" The two guys turned, one with a slight limp.

"Don't know about no girl, Strawberry," the punk with the dreads spat.

Ichigo twitched at the unwelcome nickname.

"Only punk we laid out was that shit-head back there."

Ichigo smirked when he heard the guy's voice. It was as if someone stuffed his mouth with cotton.

"That 'punk' was a girl." Guys like these really got him pissed off. "She said you left your asses back there. I just came to hand them to ya." His permanent scowl showed slight signs of amusement.

His taunting got the rise that he was looking for, because they charged right at him. As they came at him, Ichigo swung out his leg, roundhouse kicking both of them in the face. They fell back, motionless and limp as rag dolls, save for the occasional twitch of a finger, or a leg. "You can't be done already." He smirked. "You are? Damn. That girl back there must've had more balls than the two of you combined. It figures, though, doesn't it?" The two gang-bangers responded with a twitch and a groan. He turned and left, heading in the direction of his house, and the clinic.

Inoue Orihime sat in a stiff-backed chair next to a clean, white hospital bed, where her crimson haired classmate was currently recuperating from the valiant attempt at a rescue. Her warm brown eyes were filled with concern, smooth pale face downcast in sadness. She had held a vigil, waiting for the girl to regain consciousness, to no avail. She had two things going for her that allowed her to keep going the way that she did. One: endless patience, the other, endless kindness. Those combined made her a bit of a worrywart, but also allowed for her to make friends very easily. She continued her vigil, determined to thank the girl and offer up her services once the girl regained consciousness.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, revealing a distraught woman and an equally worried man, the nurse that led them there hidden behind the man.

"Oh my GOD! MY BABY!" The woman placed a well-manicured hand over her mouth, fresh tears welling up into her hazel eyes, threatening to spill over the tear tracks on her tanned face.

The man stood at the door, a look of pure horror plastered on his strong features, unable to speak. The woman broke away from the loose hold of her husband and ran to her daughter's bedside. Orihime, with a look of resignation, gave up her chair to the woman, whose concern for her daughter was apparent. The woman fell back numbly into the chair, slumping like a doll.

"How is she?" The man asked. Orihime assumed it was the girl's father.

"Much better, actually. She's post-op and on her way to a steady recovery." The nurse seemed to have rehearsed this stint. She almost cut him off, answering as if it was easy as breathing.

"Injuries?" He could only manage that, so that he wouldn't start tearing himself.

"She has six broken ribs, two bruised, her right lung was punctured, and her left leg is broken in several places. The back of her head has been stitched up, and she is suffering from a concussion. The swelling has reduced, but we can't guarantee when she'll wake up."

The man walked into the room to comfort his wife, after hearing the extent of the injuries, and to see his daughter.

"Oh God, baby. What happened?" The shaky tenor of her mother's voice came in a little more than a whisper. She stroked Sayuri's face and held her hand, gingerly avoiding the IV drip connected to her.

Orihime managed to find her voice, and spoke up. "I'm sorry, ma'am. It's all my fault." She was on the verge of tears when the girl's mother looked up at her. "You see..." She bit her lip, fighting back the tears stinging her eyelids. "There were these guys... they had me up against a wall," she rubbed her bruised wrists at the memory, "and then she stepped in and… she told me to run. I tried to get her and take her with me, but she…" She swallowed back the lump in her throat, "she just told me to run, so I did. I was so scared... I ran to the clinic, it was the only place I could think of... I told Kurosaki-kun that she... and he brought her here. I… I'm so sorry." Her voice gave way to tears and she buried her head in her bruised arms, giving in to the sobs. A look of sympathy melted into the woman's features and she enveloped the girl in a warm embrace.

"Hey." Orihime heard a weak voice barely over a whisper. "What's all this crying for? Someone dying?" She approached the bed with a bouquet of flowers and candy, sniffling.

"I'm sorry... for getting you into this. Thank you for… for saving me." She placed the flowers in the vase, and gave the candies to her classmate.

"Hey, it was nothin'." Orihime was about to say something, but the girl raised a hand to quiet her. "If I hadn't have stepped in when I did... you wouldn't be the one apologizing. 'Sides, 's about time. Ya gotta admit, they had it comin'." She noticed the tanned, slender hand on hers. Her eyes widened. "Mom? What are you doing here? I thought you were on your business trip."

The woman looked up. "I was, mi hija, but as soon as I got the call, I hopped on the next plane out of there. I was so scared, sweetie, I -" She held her daughter close, carefully avoiding the IV and other tubes stuck in her baby girl. "I don't want to lose you, Sayuri. Promise me you'll never do anything like that again."

"But, P-" Sayuri paused, realizing there were others in the room, and made a fast recovery, "Mama, I h-"

"Promise me." It was barely more than a whisper, but the panic in her voice was evident. It was understandable, really. She was clearly physically and mentally broken. Distraught.

She sighed. "I promise, Mommy. I promise."

"Oi, Orihime, did she…" He was silenced by the people in the room. His loud tone gave Sayuri a headache and she placed an olive-toned hand on her bandaged head. "Is she awake yet?" He carefully whispered, as he was stared down by a pair of cold grey eyes.

Komura Sayuri rolled her light grey eyes. "No, dobe. I'm not awake, just having an out-of-body experience."

Kurosaki shook his head and rolled his amber eyes in response. "Whatever. I'll go tell Yuzu. She wanted to know how you were holding up." He walked out of the room with his hands in his pockets.

"You know, I have to go call someone real quick." Orihime hurried out the door after Ichigo, leaving the family alone for a while.

"Why do I get the feeling I know them from somewhere?" Sayuri mumbled thoughtfully, trying to remember.

"Inoue Orihime and Kurosaki Ichigo." Quizzical grey eyes met hazel, and the older woman quickly added, "they're in your class, dear." Sayuri was thankful for her mom; she was really good at that kind of stuff. She was really involved. "They're good kids."

"Oh." She had a kind of distant look in her eyes for a moment, her thoughts wandering. "How long was I out?"

Her mother hugged her and kissed her bandaged forehead. "Twelve hours, mi vida, according to the doctor."

"Half a day? Man. That sucks. Could be worse, I guess." Sayuri successfully managed to break the tension, as the woman she regarded as her mother shook her head and smirked.


	2. Supernatural Encounters

Supernatural Encounters

"Honey," She felt a soft, warm hand against her, brushing the unruly bed head out of her face. She turned, snuggled into the sheets, and attempted to go back to sleep. "Do you want me to give you a ride to school today?"

"Mm? Whazzat?" She rubbed her bleary eyes, noting the sun shining through the gossamer curtains.

"Do you need a ride to school today?"

Sayuri lifted her arm and looked at her wristwatch. Her eyes grew wide as she realized if she walked, she'd be late.

"Oh crap! Yeah. That'd be nice. Thanks Mom!" She jumped out of bed, throwing the covers clear over and onto the floor, and swiftly put on her uniform, wrestling to get on her socks while brushing her teeth. Fumbling a bit, she finally managed to get dressed, and she flew down the stairs to the kitchen to grab a slice of toast before sprinting full speed to the car. In her haste, she almost ran into someone. A rather tall someone.

"Woah, there, kid. Where are you headed in such a hurry?" He placed a hand on her shoulder.

She smiled as she looked up. "Oh. Sorry Dad. I'm getting a ride to school today. I thought I was going to be late, so..." At that moment, her escort made her way out of the house. Komura Makoto walked purposefully to the car, turning her tanned face toward Sayuri, warm hazel eyes signaling that she was ready to go. "So, yeah. Bye, Dad." She hugged the bear-like man around his midsection, and practically jumped to plant a small kiss on his cheek before getting into the car with her mom.

"I have to drop something off with the assistant principal, so is it alright if I walked in with you?"

She turned her head to the right. "Mama, que se dije la ultima vez? It's not a problem, really. In fact, I'd love it if you did. I've been meaning for people besides Inoue to meet my parents."

"SAYURI!" The crimson haired teen was suddenly smothered in an awkward hug.

'Just not people like her.' Sayuri thought. "Chizuru!" She uttered menacingly as she tried to break away from the crushing hug. But Chizuru ignored her tone and continued the same as before.

"Why didn't you tell me you had such a lovely mother? Here I thought you told me everything. Am I not your best friend? Do you not tell me EVERYTHING? Do you?" The dramatic barrage of questions went on like this for some time, before Sayuri heard an equally dramatic gasp, "You wanted to keep her all to yourself, didn't you?" Sayuri coughed at the idea, and then decked the redhead.

"BAKAYARO! I was protecting her from YOU!" Sayuri yelled. Fake tears formed in Chizuru's eyes, countered by a "I-didn't-hit-hard" look.

Makoto giggled at the scene. "I'm flattered, Chizuru, really. Maybe Sayuri should invite you over some time." And that was the end of it. Chizuru had fainted... and Sayuri shuddered. She honestly didn't want to know what was going on in the mind of her sick friend. She'd learned that the hard way.

"Now, you're sure you feel OK? You don't feel sore or nauseous or dizzy or"

Sayuri interrupted what was about to become a rant. "Ay, mama. I'm fine. Promise. Now, let's go, so that I'm not late for class and you're not late for work." The older woman nodded, and they continued their walk.

As the two made the rest of their way to the school, Sayuri dressed in her uniform and her 'mother' in a crème-colored business suit, complete with knee length pencil skirt, they got a lot of those looks. Mostly from the guys. Honestly, with the way they were looking at her mom, it was as if they'd never seen a woman before. Some of these kids actually followed them down the hall to the classroom. Sayuri just pretended she didn't notice them, and just rolled her eyes.

"Hon, I'm going to go to the office right now and turn these in, but I'll see you after school, alright?" Makoto pulled Sayuri into a warm hug, to which the small teen responded with a tight hug.

"Alright, ma. See you after school." Makoto proceeded to walk down the hall, and Sayuri slipped into the classroom and into her seat, ready for another day at school.

Needless to say, school was very uneventful that day. Lots of questions about Sayuri's 'mom,' for example, what did she do for a living, how did Komura-san meet her dad… blah, blah, blah. She'd answered every one of them bluntly and honestly. Rumors were the last thing Sayuri wanted, especially since these ones would have two months to spread until high school started, so she figured she wouldn't beat around the bush with anybody. The day carried on in that manner until it was time to get home. At that time, she was alone.

Sayuri's normal route home ran parallel to the river, until she got to the bridge on Third. As she walked along, her eyes fell on a bouquet of flowers that had been placed on the bank of the river. She looked up from that, and saw a little boy, crying and wiping his eyes with his arm.

"Hey, kid!"

The small boy, about five years old, turned his head to her, his sapphire eyes sparkling with tears. He turned completely to face her, and she noticed that he had a chain attached to his chest.

She shouted to him from where she was standing. "You OK?" The kid looked stunned that someone was speaking to him. "What's…" She was cut off by loud screech, followed by an odd pressure. The sound of heavy footfalls drowned out even her thoughts, and she turned her head to the source of the sound.

A large creature, about the size of a two-story house, with an exposed skull and iguana-like in appearance, was standing about three meters away from her and the kid. It turned to the child, and was about to bring down an oversized claw. She lunged toward him and, wrapping her arms around his middle, rolled sideways along the bank - away from the thing.

'What the hell is that thing?'

As she and the kid looked up to see the monster, a person dressed in a black costume from the Edo period jumped up from behind it and swung down a sword over its skull, slicing through the creature as if it was a stick of butter. She held the scared child, whose head was tucked into the crook of her neck, so that only his sandy brown hair was seen.

"It's alright. The monster's gone now. It's OK." She rubbed his back, trying to relax him. "Excuse me, sir? What was that thing?" The man walked toward them, the child, rather, as he didn't seem to hold any interest in her. "Hey. I'm talking to you. What the heck was that thing?" He glared at her, and motioned for her to give him the kid. "What are you, deaf? I asked you what the hell that thing was, and you're gonna answer me!"

The strange man responded in an icy tone, hiding the surprise he felt that she had reiatsu enough to see him, and most likely to attract the hollow. "What right do you have to order anything out of me? I simply need the child and it would be best if you gave him up."

Sayuri gave the man her coldest glare, and motioned for the child to hide behind her. "I'm not doing anything until you sheath your sword and tell me what the hell that thing was that just tried to attack him." 'And me,' Sayuri added as an afterthought.

After about one minute, he sighed and sheathed his sword, realizing she wouldn't give up. "That was a hollow. And if you wanna know so badly, it attacked because it wanted power, so it would have eaten him, or you. I'm here to make sure he's safe, and if you hand him over, he will be, now give him here." He uttered that last demand very forcefully, through a clenched jaw.

Her glare only hardened, but then she turned around to the small child, crimson hair whipping around to hide her expression, until she wiped the stray strands away from her eyes. "Hey. This man says he's going to keep you safe. I think he'll help you pass on, so can you go with him please?"

The small boy nodded his head, and hugged her, small arms wrapped around her neck. "Arigato, nee-chan."

The man unsheathed his sword, and she was about to run to the child again, an uneasy feeling hit the pit of her stomach, until she saw him touch the hilt to the child's forehead. A blue glow emitted from the spot, and then encircled the child, until the boy disappeared, a black butterfly appearing and flying skyward in his stead. The man sheathed his sword again, and as he turned away she grabbed onto his sleeve. "Just a minute." Her grey eyes were hard, but curious. "What and who are you?"

Coal black eyes glared back at her, and an equally cold voice responded. "That is none of your business. Now, if you'll excuse me," he tugged his arm out of her grasp, and disappeared.

She shook her head, and angrily muttered, "Whatever." She walked up from the bank, gathered her things, and continued on home, wondering the whole time about that whole encounter.


End file.
